The Honourable Federal Commissioner representing Delta State in the National Population Commission, NPC, Chief Richard Odibo (KSC) has inaugurated members of the 2023 Census Publicity and Security/Logistics Committees in Delta State for the 2023 population and housing census.
Making his address, Chief Odibo stated that “The census is intended to provide reliable data to support key decisions at various levels, the last census was done 17 years ago, we don’t want to deviate this time, in a bid to create adequate awareness and solve challenges with security and logistics, the need to create these committees came to light”.
Speaking further, Odibo called on Deltans to take the census seriously because they count, stressing that “Census is more important than an election, it makes it possible for a government to develop a plan for the nation from security challenges to employment, amongst others.”
While speaking on the challenges so far, Odibo stated that “Some traditions have it that you can’t count their children, that if you do, one god would reduce the number. The baby born on that day of the head count would be counted; everyone needs to be counted if we must get it right for adequate planning, adequate governance and security.
“Challenges are there, so many of them, but by the grace of God, we will overcome”, adding that “we have engaged stakeholders at all levels in all our activities, we have gone ahead to visit 80% of traditional rulers, as for IDPs, we will go there and data will be recorded to that village or enclave.”
Odibo also hinted that “census is a process which has started, we have tested our instruments, we conducted trial census and for training, we are almost there”, stressing that “we are doing our bit, we expect the policy makers to do their bit, it’s for us to generate the data for them to use. We have trained over 20,000 personnel in Delta State, It’s not as usual, it’s digital this time, just cooperate with us and make yourself available.”
Also speaking was Deacon Patrick Ochei, the secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Delta State Council, who represented the Chairman as member of the Publicity Committee and Ambassador, stated that “We are here for a very serious business, of course we know it’s a call to service, it bequeaths on us to do our role to ensure the census is carried out properly.”
Ochei while speaking on the role of the media, stated that “I assure you from the media constituency that we will ensure that the issue of publicity is carried out properly, we will engage all factors including those at the community journalism level as they are the main purveyors of information at the grassroots level. We will on our part do our best to publicize the activities of the Commission as far as the 2023 census is concerned”, he said.
Giving the vote of thanks was a newly invested Ambassador, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr. UB Eshiet who started by saying that “FRSC has always collaborated with the Commission, our vehicle was used during the test phase”, stressing that “this is so important to Nigeria and that’s why everyone must be involved so we can get the right data.
“We are going to do our best to ensure the success of this census for the good of the nation”, he added.
The inauguration took place at the Felix Ibru Secretariat conference hall in Asaba, with stakeholders drawn from Security Agencies, the National Orientation Agency, the Nigeria Union of Journalists and others too numerous to mention.
